What Are the Dangers of Veneers?
Perhaps you've looked at veneers because a mouth-first fall on the skateboard took a giant chip out of your tooth. Maybe you want them to close a gap that a retainer couldn't maintain. Sure they might be able to give you that flashy commercial smile, but it could come at a price larger than your dental bill. The true dangers of veneers are rarely discussed when you're sitting at the dentist office looking through those before-and-after pictures.
Function
Veneers are thin porcelain or ceramic shells that are applied to cracked, crooked or otherwise imperfect teeth. Before the actual application, the dentist makes a mold of your teeth and sends it to a dental lab. The lab creates the veneers from the mold. Before the final cement is applied, the veneers are placed on your teeth so the dentist can continue to shape them for an ideal fit. Once everything looks perfect the dentist will bond the veneers to your teeth (reference 1, 2).
Gum Infection
When done properly, veneers should fit neatly over the teeth. Poorly fitted veneers not only look bad because they're too big, they can cause gums to become infected and create bad breath. If the veneer is too big for the tooth, food particles can get into the open space and become lodged there, causing bacteria and plaque (reference 2, 3). The veneers must fit perfectly in order to avoid this issue.
Uneven Bite
Once again, this is what happens when veneers are too big for the mouth. When the upper and the lower jaws don't meet, jaw pain ensues. Unfortunately, because you may already be in a certain amount of pain after the application of the veneers, you might not even notice the pain of an uneven bite until a few days after the process is complete (resource 2).
Ground Teeth
With the exception of Lumineers, your dentist will need to remove a layer of enamel from your teeth in order to affix the veneer (reference 1, 2, resource 1). This is called grinding or roughing the teeth, and it's a permanent process. Some dentists, unfortunately, will go too far with with it. When teeth are ground down too much, a nerve can be exposed, causing sensitivity. This may eventually lead to the need for a root canal (reference 2). Lumineers, however, require little or no grinding, which is a welcome option.
Lack of Dentist Certification
A licensed dentist must apply the veneers. And even though the veneer manufacturers offer dentists training on use the products, there's no required dental accreditation for veneer application or cosmetic dentistry (reference 2). Any dentist can offer the service, and that can be a problem. If you choose a dentist who isn't skilled, you could end up with gum infections, an uneven bite or needing a root canal.
Tags: your teeth, dentist will, root canal, uneven bite, What Dangers